Infernal Affairs
See also:
Infernal Affairs II (Uncle Cliff)
Infernal Affairs III (Uncle Cliff)
Departed, The (Uncle Cliff)
Staying with this film is a bit of a task at first. Not only do you got subtitles to distract you (if you're an ignorant fool who only watches dubbed shit), but the exposition comes on so thick and heavy for the first ten minutes that you may have to watch it twice before progressing.
The basic set up is reminiscent of John Woo's early (read: good) Chinatown period. A bad guy. A good guy. Different sides of the same coin. Both after each other. What makes this stand out, (and obviously caught Scorsese's eye as he is currently remaking it), is that the bad guy is a cop and the good guy is a gangster. Well kinda. Both are moles sent in undercover into their enemy's turf, and prosper in their fake careers, in an ongoing battle between a police chief and a notorious crime lord.
Any confusion you may have at first is worth persevering through, for once you have a grasp on what's going on, it is really quite the ride for the rest of the way (plus the filmmaker adds some cheesy but necessary flash-backing at all the important times just so you're clear). The themes are blunt as hell – both characters indulge in various “am I good or am I bad?” type speeches throughout the film – but it doesn't lessen the impact, nor the unpredictable ending. Good film. I hope Scorsese turns it into a motherfucking great one.